Descriptive vs. Inferential Statistics
Statistics is the study of how to collect, organize and interpret data based on probabilistic conclusions. In its most general form, statistics can be broken down into facets: descriptive and inferential.
Descriptive statistics is as its sounds. It’s basically the organization of a given set of data as it is and it describes a given sample or population. For instance, in the United States alone, 7.6 % of Americans aged 12 years or older have symptoms of depression. This can be called descriptive, as it makes no more assumptions.
Inferential statistics is the analysis and interpretation of data--drawing conclusions from “good” data uses probability to determine if conclusions are correct.
Challenge
In order to study the effects of insulin treatment on patients with Type II Diabetes, researchers devise a t-test, used to assess whether the means of two groups are statistically different from each other. The researchers collect the mean glucose levels for the treatment group, the ones given the insulin, and for the control group, the ones who did not receive the insulin. Using these means, the researchers try to compare both groups to see if such a treatment actually will help patients with Type II Diabetes. What type of statistics are these researchers using?
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